Raiga's eyes widened as Naruto slashed his throat, leaving a clean red line that slowly seeped out blood.
"Demon" He uttered before his eyes rolled back, and blood leaked from his lips.
Naruto wiped his hand and smiled
"Now, to deal with the brat" Naruto smiled as he picked up Raiga's body, and stored it away in a scroll.
He then crossed his hands, forming a seal
*Poof*
White smoke puffed out, and when it cleared, it wasn't Naruto that was revealed, but Raiga.
"I wonder if his eyes can see through transformations" He chuckled as he held the two blades in his hands.
He swung the blade, but no lightning came out
"I guess I still need the lightning nature to use those, but the sharpness" Naruto slashed the ground, leaving a clean line.
He then made his way to the battlefield, where Lee and the others were struggling to find Ranmaru through the thick illusions. Tenten had tried to use widespread attacks by raining weapons down, however, even that was useless against it.
They simply could not find where Ranmaru, who was simply doing his best to stall time so Raiga could return.
"Tch, if only my byakugan can see through it" Neji gnashed his teeth
"We can only hope Naruto can win and come help" Tenten sighed
As this went on, a figure blurred in the sky, and slammed down in the centre of the illusions, causing the ground to shake.
Dust flew everywhere, and through it, a sharp blade struck out at Lee, who jumped back and avoided the strike.
!!!!!!
"R-Raiga!" The three frowned
If Raiga was here, then....
A sense of dread crept into their hearts, if he's here, then Naruto probably lost....
"Ranmaru, it's time to end this" 'Raiga' said
A small figure appeared next to him amidst the illusions, his red eyes still completely focused on Neji's group. His heart raced when Raiga appeared, as excitement filled him, so much that he appeared next to him without thinking much, and maintained vigilance against the other three enemies.
'Raiga' smiled
"You did well"
"Thank you Raiga-sama" Ranmaru smiled as he turned to 'Raiga'
However, as his red eyes focused slowly on Raiga, his heart nearly dropped
"Y-You...you're not Raiga-sama" He exclaimed
Naruto laughed as he undid the transformation. He then grabbed Ranmaru by the neck without giving him time to properly react. Without Raiga's protection, Ranmaru was helpless at such close range.
"Wh-What did you do to Raiga-sama" Ranmaru questioned
"Him? I killed him of course" Naruto smirked
!!!!!!
It wasn't just Ranmaru, Lee and the others were shocked by Naruto's reveal. They didn't expect he'd transform into Raiga to lure Ranmaru out.
"Wait, Naruto" Lee suddenly ran over and grabbed Naruto's wrist
"Yes?"
"This...I know this sounds too soft hearted, but is it possible to let him live? He's still young, I'm sure he can change his ways" Lee said
"Lee...." Naruto said
"Hell no" Naruto said flatly right after
He shook his head as he lifted Ranmaru up
"Not only is he an enemy, but he is one with a rather powerful kekkei genkai, if he grows up fuelled by revenge, then it is Konoha that suffers" Naruto replied
Lee shrank back a little, what Naruto said made sense, but killing someone so young didn't sit right with him.
Naruto narrowed his gaze, but an idea came to mind, as someone who has great interest with kekkei genkais appeared in his mind.
"Fine, I can compromise" Naruto said
"Really?"
Naruto knocked Ranmaru out and dropped him down. The illusions around all faded once he was knocked out, clearing out the field.
"There is someone I know, I owe that person a bit, but he might be willing to take in Ranmaru, that is my best compromise" Naruto said
"That is fine, if he can be raised by someone nice, I do not mind" Lee replied
'Yeah, he's rea~l nice alright, best of luck to this kid to not end up dissected' Naruto thought
"For now, I have Raiga's body, we'll show it to the town to prove we have killed him, and return" Naruto said
"Yes" The group was quite excited to have finished this mission
Raiga was by no means an easy opponent, and to win against him brought them great pride, even if Naruto was the one who dealt with Raiga himself.
The group returned to town, who were all gathered at the front, as if they were waiting for their fate to be decided. Whoever returns will determine what is in stall for their future...
When they saw figures in the distance, their hearts tensed, worried that it was Raiga's group that had returned. However, as they got closer, they realised who it was, and excitement filled their hearts.
"I-Is Raiga dead?" When they arrived, the towns folks were all jittery, awaiting a response
Naruto took out a scroll, and Raiga's body fell to the ground. His body ignited immense joy for these people, as they broke into cheers.
"Thank you, thank you so much for freeing our town" The town mayor approached them and grabbed Naruto's hands as he thanked him.
Tears rand own his face
"Our people have suffered, and lost precious loved ones to them....we cannot express our gratitudes" He said
"The reward will do, give more if you're that gracious" Naruto said with a straight face
*Bang*
Tenten smacked the back of his head
"Ignore him, the promised rewards are all we need" Tenten hurriedly said as she pushed Naruto behind her
Naruto rolled his eyes
"Tch" He clicked his tongue and huffed
"Yes, of course" The mayor said as he brought the promised reward and handed it to Tenten.
"Can we visit granny Sansho one last time before going?" Lee asked with a gleeful look
"....c-can we head home instead? I'm quite tired, and would love to head back" Tenten's lips twitched at the idea of going to that curry place again.
Neji coughed slightly
"Um, I'm quite tired as well" He said
Lee lifted a brow, but then grinned
"Ah, I know, then we must go to granny Sansho's place and have a healthy serving of her curry, I'm sure it will invigorate you all right away!" He said
"I'm good" Tenten said
"I miss my home food" Neji added
"I miss Ino" Naruto said
"....fine" Lee sighed helplessly
Naruto smiled, he'd be damned if he went there to try the curry. It's just be a waste of time, as he doesn't eat at all while he's there, and the other two will take forever to finish the food.
"Grab on, I'll teleport us back" He said
"Yay, it's nice to have you on the team" Tenten grinned as she grabbed his shoulder
"Mn" Neji nodded
Lee also grabbed on, and in an instant, the four of them vanished in a golden light, appearing in front of the main gate of Konoha.
"Alright, you three go report back, I'll go visit a friend to see if he'll take this kid in" Naruto lifted Ranmaru and said
"Okay" The three parted ways with him there, and Naruto teleported elsewhere.
As for where....
*Hiss*
"Been a while since you last visited" Orochimaru said when he saw Naruto appear, seated on a chair by the side.
"Sup~" Naruto grinned
Orochimaru was somewhat smiling...until he saw what Naruto was carrying. He pinched between his eyes as he groaned.
"Please tell me that isn't what I think it is" He sighed
"It isn't" Naruto replied
Orochimaru's eyes widened
"Really? Oh, thank goodness, and here I thought you're here to drop random kid at my place again" He let out a hearty laugh
"I am" Naruto said
"....are you messing with me?" Orochimaru hissed
"Huh? You asked me to tell you it isn't what you thought, so I did, I never claimed it was true" Naruto rolled his eyes and replied
"...."
Orochimaru groaned as he walked over. His eyes filled with murderous intent as he stared at the child Naruto placed down.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be interested" Naruto said
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes
"How so?" Whenever Naruto said he brought something he would be interested in, he never lied, so his interest was piqued.
Naruto grabbed Ranmaru's cheeks, and used one hand to pry open his left eye.
"This kid has a rare kekkei genkai, it was able to cast illusions that even the byakugan was unable to see through" Naruto said as he showed Orochimaru the boy's red eye.
Orochimaru was shocked when Naruto said that
"This...is indeed a pleasant surprise" He revealed a wide smile as he picked Ranmaru up
"Where did you find such an interesting specimen?" He asked
Naruto laughed as he leaned back
"A mist swordsman injured my brother, so I killed him in return, this little brat was with him, hey seemed to have quite the close relationship" Naruto replied
Orochimaru chuckled
"How fun, what else can his eyes do?" He asked
"Dunno, perhaps it is just illusions, perhaps there is more, I did realise that the mist swordsman I fought was able to avoid attacks that he shouldn't have been able to, so maybe this kid can predict moves" Naruto replied
"Interesting, it's quite similar to the sharingan, no?" Orochimaru said with great interest
"I think it's rather different, the illusions created by the sharingan are mental illusions, this one does not" Naruto said
Orochimaru nodded
"I will research his abilities myself then, anything you want to add?" He asked
Naruto smiled
"I don't care if this kid dies or not, so do whatever you want with him" He said
"Hahaha, I assumed as much when you handed him to me like this" Orochimaru laughed
The two laughed together, as an evil smile crept onto their faces.
"Take good care of him, either make use of his eyes, or make him a good pawn" Naruto said
"Of course" Orochimaru chuckled
After this, Naruto returned to Konoha, where like usual, he bought some snacks and desserts before going to visit Ino's family.
-Flower shop-
Naruto entered with the bag in hand, and witnessed something he never expected. Sakura was on top of Ino on the ground, both flushed red as Naruto walked in...
"...."
*Splat*
The bag in his hand dropped to the ground as he stared at them silently
"Uh....h-hi" Sakura said as she got off Ino quickly
Ino got up and tidied herself
Naruto suddenly covered his face with his hands
"Boo hoo, Sakura, I saw you as a friend, yet you're so desperate that Sasuke is gone, you made a move on my girlfriend" Naruto cried
"Hold on a minute! That's a misunderstanding!" Ino and Sakura exclaimed
Naruto removed his hand and stuck out his tongue
"Bleh, pretty obvious" He grinned
!!!!!!!
"You meanie!" Ino stomped her feet and shouted
Naruto chuckled as he picked up the bag he dropped and walked over
"I brought your favourite strawberry tarts" He smiled
"Yay!" Ino grabbed the bag and jumped
"Bestie, you're too easy" Sakura said with a speechless expression.
Naruto gently flicked Ino's forehead
"Alright, so explain, what actually happened?" Naruto asked
"Uh, I tripped and pulled her down with me" Ino stuck out her tongue and said
"Pfft, I assumed as much" Naruto said
He gazed towards Sakura
"How's your sleep now? 'Resting' better?" Naruto asked
Sakura got what he was hinting at, and nodded
"Yeah, I'm much more refreshed nowadays" She smiled
"That's good"
"I know I said it a lot, but thanks, Naruto" Sakura said
"You're Ino's friend, and my teammate" He replied
"Oh right, your nii-san is quite happy today" Sakura grinned
"Oh? Did something good happen?" Naruto asked, he had some ideas about what it was, but wanted to make sure before jumping to conclusions.
Sakura grinned
"I didn't think he would be crushing on the Hyuga princess, and while I was peaking on them, I saw Hinata actually blush slightly" She said as she nudged Naruto
"Really?" Naruto's eyes lit up
Ino was also surprised, and a sense of relief was felt
"Yep, it's subtle, but I'm sure that he'll succeed some day if he keeps up what he's doing right now" Sakura nodded
Naruto smiled
"It seems getting injured wasn't all bad for him" He muttered
"How is he doing now?" He asked
"As healthy as can be, he's just fatigued and weak, after resting for a few days, he'll be fine" Sakura replied
Naruto felt much better after hearing that
"Phew, with all that out of the way, I'm starving, anyone want ramen? My treat today" He said
"Eh? Really now?" Ino gasped
"Hah, I'm not the broke kid I used to be" Naruto rubbed his nose and said proudly
Ino giggled
"You're still a kid though"
"But I'm not broke" He replied
Ino laughed as she punched his chest gently
"With how petty you usually are, I'm surprised you're willing to treat people" She said
"Wow, really Ino? I buy you desserts almost every day, and you still call me petty? Boo hoo, I'm being insulted" Naruto covered his face with his hands and wept
"....s-sorry" Ino muttered
Naruto removed his hands from his face, the grabbed Ino's cheeks as he pinched
"I need to calm my nerves~" He said as he pinched her cheeks
"Urgh, you always pinch my face" Ino puffed her cheeks out and said, but it only made it more fun to pinch.
"Urgh, go flirt while I'm not here" Sakura acted as if she's about to vomit and said
After messing around a bit, the three went to Ichiraku's place and sat down.
"Teuchi-san, three bowls of the usual" Naruto said
"Right away, it's been a while Naruto" Teuchi laughed as he prepared the ramen
Naruto smiled
"So, what's gotten you in such a good mood today to actually treat us?" Sakura leaned against the table and asked
Naruto pointed behind him, where two blades hung on his back.
"This is...."
"My new weapons, I got it from killing the guy on my last mission" Naruto replied
"....uh, h-how nice"
"Don't be like that, these two swords are the best of the best, it cannot be compared to standard weapons" Naruto said
"I see" Sakura clearly wasn't interested as she brushed it off with an 'I see' and turned her eyes to the ramen that was served.
"Tch, I had to beat a mist swordsman to get this baby" Naruto huffed
"Eh? Now that changes things, that belongs to a mist swordsman?" Sakura and Ino exclaimed in surprise
Naruto grinned
"Yep, these two are known as Kiba, the fang blades which are known for its sharpness, sadly, I don't have a lightning nature, so I can't use it to its full capability" Naruto said
"Nonetheless, that is still an impressive sword" Ino said
"Yep, I can finally stop using a kunai against sensei during spars" Naruto laughed
"Wow, that just sounds sad"
"Oh shut up"
The three enjoyed the meal as they joked around, Naruto later walked Ino back home before he returned home himself. When he returned, he saw the clone that is usually sleeping on the couch, now awake.
"Ah, you're back, any discoveries in there?" Naruto asked
His clone sighed
"Nothing, I tried recreating the Itachi, but it didn't gain sentience like the one now, even after leaving it in there for so long, so I can only assume this one is a unique case" He replied
"...nothing we can do about it then....but it's not all bad, that Itachi in the dreamscape is made using me as reference, so if we ask it to help with research, it will likely be more than happy to do so" Naruto said
"I thought so as well" The clone nodded
"Alright, it's about time you disperse, if you stay for any longer, I'm afraid the backlash from the memories will be too intense" Naruto said
"Mn, good luck" The clone dispersed itself right after, and an extensive amount of knowledge was passed into Naruto's head.
After a while, the pain subsided
"Phew, it seems that Iachi is truly a unique one, no matter what my clone did, he couldn't recreate it" He muttered
"You're back" As he was in thought, Tayuya walked down the stairs
"Sup" Naruto waved
"Where's sensei" Naruto asked
"Went to visit Haku" Tayuya replied
"Kay, welp, good time for me to sleep then" Naruto stretched his arms and walked to his room and shut the door.
Tayuya stared at his door, then sighed
"I'm bored as f**k" She grumbled as she walked back upstairs.
Usually, she'd be sparing with Haku and Hinata. But now, Haku is in the hospital, and Hinata didn't come because she went to visit Haku, leaving Tayuya at home, bored.
-On Haku's side-
"It's already so late? I guess I should head back now" Hinata looked out the window and realise the sun was already down
Haku waved his hand
"Don't let me hold you back, I appreciated your visit" He said
"I enjoyed my time here as well....it's been a while since I spent a day without training, I guess I can consider it a break" Hinata said
"Yeah, you're hardcore" Haku chuckled faintly
Hinata paused for a bit
"On that note, Naruto seemed to have said something similar to me as well" Hinata said
"Because you are" He said
"Eh?" Hinata was a little taken aback, has she really become less feminine?
Because all this time, Naruto has only ever described her as 'awesome' or even 'scary', and Haku also said 'hardcore'. These all seem rather masculine, and she wondered where she had gone wrong.
Haku noticed Hinata's turmoils, and spoke
"What type of person do you want to be?" He asked
Hinata's hands clenched
"Someone strong, enough to no longer be a burden" She replied
"Then don't you think you're achieving it?" He asked
"This..."
"Hinata, you're an amazing person, if you believe you are making progress, then it's something worth celebrating" He said calmly
Hinata was silent for a moment, she didn't know how to respond to that. The serious look Haku gave her showed genuine concern and care for her, but she has never had someone aside from Naruto complement her this way before.
And even with Naruto, he wasn't as upfront as Haku is right now, she is currently rather flustered, unable to comprehend how she should proceed now.
Just outside the hospital door....
"Sh-Should we call backup?"
"But he's not doing anything, right?"
"He's clearly suspicious!"
The medical nins were gathered by the end of a hallway, discussing what to do as someone was currently outside the ward Haku is currently in, leaning against the wall as he smiled. But that smile....it was utterly terrifying!
His jagged teeth were scary enough, not to mention that sharp gaze, and massive sword!
"What's this? Why are you all gathered here?" The medical nins heard a young voice behind, and turned to see Sakura, who just returned from dinner.
"Sakura, look, isn't that person suspicious?"
"He's just smiling there, so creepy"
Sakura gazed over, and lifted a brow
"Isn't that just Haku's dad? He is the father of the guy who's currently recuperating in that ward, and probably doesn't want to disturb his son's alone time with a girl" She said
"Ah?"
"Oh, I guess I was too quick to judge"
"But why is his smile to scary?"
Sakura had no answers to that last question either, but she had to at least make sure the staff knew who he is so this doesn't happen again. They were this close to calling for combat shinobis to deal with Zabuza!
Zabuza stood outside, he didn't know what they were talking about inside, but when he peeked his head in, he saw Haku smiling as he spoke with Hinata.
Before long, the door opened up as a slightly flustered Hinata ran out. Zabuza was taken aback, but when he saw her face, he began smiling again. Haku, on the other hand, wasn't as perceptive as Zabuza, and was stunned by Hinata's sudden departure.
Zabuza immediately knew by the look on his face that he thought he may have done something wrong, and simply chuckled.
'He needs to figure these things out himself'
He then walked in, while Haku was still slightly dazed by the situation.
"Ah, father" Haku greeted, seemingly out of it still
"How are you doing?" Zabuza asked
"Well, I'm not too sure myself" Haku smiled
"I meant your health" Zabuza chuckled
!!!!
Haku's ears turned pinkish, for some reason, he thought Zabuza meant his emotional wellbeing...
Zabuza didn't stay for long, he just dropped by to check Haku's wellbeing before departing again. When he returned, he learned of Naruto's return from Tayuya, and that he was currently sleeping.
"Alright" He simply nodded, though he wanted to ask how the mission went
He was there when Naruto received the mission, so he knew who Naruto was facing. Now that he was back, and sleeping so peacefully, it was somewhat evident that he probably killed Raiga.
He didn't really have much of a bond with any of the other swordsman, though he did want to meet them again to cross swords with.
-Next day-
Naruto opened the door of his room to the fragrant smell of breakfast that Zabuza had prepared with Kimimaro. Now that he thought about it, his house is currently being cleaned and taken care of by a rogue Shinobi, and a criminal raised by a madman....
'Oh well'
Not that it mattered, he hardly considered himself a good person, so what's wrong with harbouring a few criminals?
"How did the mission go" Zabuza noticed Naruto, and asked
"Pretty good, I made sure Raiga died with regrets" Naruto replied with a sinister smile
'And I sometimes wonder which one of us is the wanted criminal in the house' Zabuza thought to himself as he stared at Naruto's creepy smile, not aware that his smile is just as horrendous.
"What about Kiba" He asked
Naruto took out a scroll and two blades were summoned through it. The blades were caught by Zabuza, who examined them carefully. He then sighed faintly.
"Pity that a fellow swordsman has died to you" He muttered
"You say that, but aren't you pretty happy as well?" Naruto said, he could see that underneath the bandages, Zabuza was smiling.
Zabuza chuckled as he passed the blades over to Naruto
"It's still a pity....that I couldn't do it myself" Zabuza added, his voice was laced with murderous intents
When he found out who it was that injured Haku, he wanted to follow Naruto on the mission, but when he saw Naruto's state at that time, he realised that perhaps Naruto needed to work through it more than he did.
And to help Naruto, his best choice was to remain calm in these situations, so Naruto wouldn't feel overwhelmed with emotions. What Naruto needed at that time was someone who understood his pain, and could take it calmly, not another man who wanted revenge.
"I can have Orochimaru reanimate his corpse and have him killed until you are satisfied" Naruto said with a dark smile
"...."
'Again, who are the bad guys again? Me or you?' Zabuza couldn't help but worry about the future of Konoha.
It makes one wonder how much of a mess Naruto is, for a rogue Shinobi like Zabuza to care for a village he had almost no relation to...
"It's fine, knowing he's dead is enough for me" Zabuza responded
"Alright, if you say so" He grinned
Naruto thought about whether he should visit Haku, however, upon thinking of Hinata possibly visiting him, he decided it was best to let the two be alone. He already heard from Sakura about the small development between them, so the last thing he wants is for him to disturb them.
He then glanced at the two blades in his hands, and spun them onto his back, where two straps held them both. He took the straps from Raiga's body, and due to the blade's shape, it was impossible to make a proper sheath for it.
As he pondered what he should do, he suddenly remembered something he did some time back...
'I left a flying raijin mark on that Deidara kid last time we met, I wonder if it was found' He was tempted to make an attempt to teleport to Deidara, but his logical side flipped back and shook his head.
'If I end up being surrounded, I might get subdued before I can even teleport back'
Though, despite thinking so logically....
'But the temptation is also there' He grinned
Seeing Naruto's smile, Zabuza knew that someone was in for a rude awakening. ForNaruto to smile this way, it meant he either had a bad idea, or was about to mess with someone.
Naruto formed a sign with his hands, and created a seal that was imprinted onto him.
Immediately, Zabuza felt Naruto's presence dwindle, if one didn't properly pay attention, they might not notice him. Of course, for a Shinobi of his level, he was able to identify Naruto after a quick focus.
"I'll be off now" Naruto grinned as he vanished in a golden flash...
Naruto sensed the flying raijin mark, and teleported to the location, but came upon a scene he was not ready for.
He teleported into a small restaurant that appeared to be located in a bustling city. His presence was easily overlooked by the two people with whom he is now seated with, and further hid himself by reducing his chakra flow.
At the table, there are two others who have yet to notice him, they both wore normal clothes, but one of them wore a mask.
One red-haired, one blonde.
'Sasori and Deidara, guess these two are partners like Itachi and Kisame'
He glanced at their casual wears
'Guess even Akatsuki members have times when they aren't wearing that black coat with red clouds, huh?' Then again, why would they wear it everywhere!?
Deidara and Sasori were both eating normally
"Sasori senpai, how strong are you compared to the others?" Deidara asked with a silly smile on his face
Sasori, who had a mask over the upper half of his face, ignored his question, and continued to eat.
Seeing that he didn't get a response, Deidara tucked his lips and went back to eating as well. But he suddenly covered his mouth with his hands as he began struggling to breathe.
"Sir, are you alright?" The waitress ran over and asked
Sasori turned to Deidara, a little confused, but nothing more
Deidara coughed, and slowly lowered his hand. Now, in his originally empty hand, was a white rose, which seemed to be made of clay.
"Ta da~" Deidara said as he pointed the rose to Sasori, who was left baffled.
The waitress's eyes widened as she gasped, not expecting the blonde boy to actually gift a rose to the other!
'Damn...that was kinda slick' Naruto rubbed his chin and thought as he witnessed Deidara's little magic trick.